Brewing 101

Posted
on
November 14, 2012

We recently read an article that although beer is one of the most consumed beverages in the world, few actually know how it is made. As a result we chose to dedicate this month’s article to the art of brewing to help ensure we all know how our beloved beer is made!

Brewing is the production of beer through steeping grains (or another starch source) in water and then fermenting with yeast. It has taken place since the 6th millennium BC, with archaeological evidence suggesting that this technique was used in ancient Egypt.

The basic ingredients of beer are water; a fermentable (convertible into alcohol) starch source, such as malted barley; a brewer’s yeast to produce the fermentation; and a flavouring, such as hops. More adventurous brewers add almost any other ingredient to the brew, e.g. spices, oranges, tea, honey, chocolate and coffee! There are several steps in the brewing process (illustrative diagram below):